Kansas Geological Survey Scientist Receives Achievement Award

LAWRENCE--Rolfe Mandel, geoarchaeologist at the Kansas Geological Survey and the University of Kansas Department of Anthropology, was one of four recipients of a 2012 Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Award, the state's most prestigious recognition for scholarly excellence.

Mandel, senior scientist and executive director of the Odyssey Research Program at the KGS, received the Irvin Youngberg Award for Applied Sciences.

Focusing his research on the relationship between geology and the archeological record, Mandel has conducted field investigations at the northwest Kansas Kanorado Locality, the northeast Kansas Coffey site, and other locations thought to harbor pre-Clovis cultural deposits that may date to more than 11,500 before present.

Geoarchaeology encompasses the investigation and interpretation of sediments, soils, and landforms to help identify areas of potential cultural deposits, date finds, and assess prehistoric environments.

Mandel has a Ph.D. and M.A. from KU and a B.A. from the University of Texas-Austin. He has written numerous scientific articles and publications and is editor of the book Geoarchaeology in the Great Plains. In addition to his work in the Great Plains, Mandel has conducted research in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The other recipients of this year's Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards are Susan Lunte, Ralph N. Adams Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Jonathan Mayhew, professor of Spanish; and Judy Wu, University Distinguished Professor of Physics. All four recipients are faculty members at KU's Lawrence campus.

This is the 31st annual presentation of the awards, established in 1981 by Takeru Higuchi, a distinguished professor at KU from 1967 to 1983, and his wife, Aya. Awards are given in four categories: humanities and social sciences, basic sciences, biomedical sciences, and applied sciences.

The awards recognize the exceptional long-term research accomplishments of faculty at Kansas Board of Regents universities. Each award includes a citation and $10,000 for ongoing research efforts. The money can be used for research materials, summer salaries, fellowship matching funds, hiring research assistants, or other support related to research.

The recipients will be recognized on Friday, November 2, during a ceremony at the Lied Center of Kansas on KU's West Campus.